Theos-Talk Archives (November 1996 Message tl00032)

Kym writes-->
So, a person who is a Theosophist (capital T) is one who accepts the
writings of HPB as the foundation, or fundamental doctrine of theosophy?

And a theosophist (little t) is someone who looks more to the "spiritual"
and "subjective" side of the philosophy?

Richard Ihle writes-->
It's an absurd situation more or less gradually "imposed" upon us by those
who were not content with the expression ~The Theosophical Philosophy~ to
represent HPB and HPB-consistent doctrine.  (I always thought that even this
was overweening to begin with:  it should probably have been ~The Principal
Theosophical Philosophy~, which itself already seems more than a little
arrogant.)

Anyway, a sizeable percentage of the membership as well as perhaps the bulk
of the general public now just think of  HPB's Cosmogenesis, Anthropogenesis,
and some closely related doctrines and writings ~as~ "Theosophy."

In particular, much of the established leadership does not seem content with
the fact that HPB will undoubtedly go down in history as the greatest
Theosophist of all times; they seem to want want to establish her ~as~
Theosophy itself.  Fortunately, I guess, they still allow all other
"knowledge which has its base in, or at least originally derives from,
transcendental, mystical, or intuitive insight or higher perception" to be
called ~theosophy~.

Logically speaking, of course, there seems little need for the uncapitalized
word ~theosophy~.  Or perhaps "God-assisted speculation" should get the
capital and the mere passing along of (without validating it by means of
one's own transcendental resources) ~studied~ Theosophy should be called
~theosophy~.

At this point the exclusive and irrevocable linking of ~Theosophy~ with HPB
doctrine cannot be said to be a done-deal.  If and when it becomes a
done-deal, we will have become a complete-cult, with HPB-doctrine experts and
proponents running things pretty much without regard for the more general
Truth-seekers.

Hey, wait a minute. . . .

Godspeed,

Richard Ihle